Well, that extra 30 minutes made the movie considerably better (although Luthor is still awful). The editing is so much better in the extended version, and the entire sub-plot of the suicide bomber dude actually makes sense.

I'm not ashamed to say I love it. Wish they bumped the Justice League character teaser to the end credits, because that placement was really awful, but I was on board for the rest of it. It's a gorgeous film.

Thus far my impressions haven't changed. It's visually stunning with some truly sumptuous sequences -- the opening in Metropolis is one of the best sequences of any superhero movie -- and the questions it poses about the idea of Superman existing in the world are interesting and at times rather weighty, but when after an hour you're still like, "Okay, so what's the story, exactly?" there is a problem.

Batman is looking for some guy for some reason. Wonder Woman wants her picture back. And Superman saved someone and supposedly (but didn't really) kill some warlord's mercenaries while doing it and for some reason that's an international incident. And this has been a full hour so far.

The montage of Superman rescuing people is glorious, though. (Why does he look so damn unhappy as he does it?)

Thus far my impressions haven't changed. It's visually stunning with some truly sumptuous sequences -- the opening in Metropolis is one of the best sequences of any superhero movie -- and the questions it poses about the idea of Superman existing in the world are interesting and at times rather weighty,

That was my takeaway from Man of Steel when I first saw it, and I hated all it stood for. I caught it during a miserable time in my life - full on depression and long-uncomfortable thoughts about why I should bother going on at all. But hell, there's a Superman movie coming out. I'm looking forward to seeing it, because, Superman, fuck yeah!

Opening night, Imax screen. And ever-building dread as I watched what I hoped to be the one ray of light in my miserable existence smothered by never-ending violent sequences, dildo spaceships, and an unshakable feeling that it would be pretty awful to have a Superman exist in our world. I left the theater in a deeper rut than I had entered. And, as I sat in my car at 2:30AM, waiting for the parking lot to empty, I pondered how devoid of meaning my life really was. I couldn't even enjoy a Superman film. Something caught my attention on my left - in the car next to me were a couple fucking like crazy in the backseat. "At least someone is having a good night" echoed in my skull as I made the long journey home.

It is improved from the theatrical release, but anyone expecting a total transformation will be disappointed. It adds a little clarity to what Lex was doing. Otherwise, it largely just makes the first half feel a little less frantic and unfocused. The slower pace actually helps the movie in that regard.

But all the same flaws are still there. Lex's plan is bugfuck stupid and needlessly complex. Superman is a mopey bore. Batman's motivation to kill Superan just doesn't sell. The JL tie-ins are clumsy. Mama Kent delivers some shit advice. It doesn't quite realize the promise of its themes. Doomsday is dumber than shit in every way.

But all the strengths are still there, too. Wonder Woman is AWESOME and steals every single scene she is in. Her score is amazing. Plan to kill Superman aside, Affleck is great as Batman. The Batman scenes are largely excellent; a Snyder Dark Knight movie clearly would have been great. The visuals are lovely. And the opening scene is one of the greatest of any superhero movie.

Basically, opinion mostly unchanged. Its an improvement, but you'd have to have been right on the fence for it to sway you. I liked it better, I liked several aspects of it a good deal more, but the film still brings me no joy. I don't hate it, it's got merits, but I don't necessarily want to watch it.

I broke in my new projector with Superman:The Movie (3 hour cut) yesterday, followed by Man of Steel today.

Man of Steel is so damn gorgeous. Every shot just looks fantastic. People complain that Superman doesn't do anything to inspire hope in people in these films, but that's bullshit. The entire third act features numerous people putting faith in one another, and in the face of death, doing their best to help one another.

Shoe, glad you can find some strengths in Batman V Superman. I agree with most of your complaints, the only difference is that I don't care. I've had a shift in how I enjoy films as of late - visual and audio storytelling can carry a film for me. Sure, I wish they cut that Justice League promo out of the film - it was so misplaced. Shoehorning Doomsday into this was dumb, but I'd be hard pressed to name a superhero film that doesn't feature dumb shit. At least it's cool to look at.

The 3-hour cut of Superman: The Movie is a fucking chore to sit through.

All-Star Superman - Grant Morrison's ode to the goofy 1960's Superman, but with plenty of heart. Both the book and animated feature are pretty fun.

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow: Alan Moore-penned, and Curt Swan-penciled tribute to the Silver Age Superman. The end of Superman - this was the final story before John Byrne rebooted Superman, and as someone who read the silver-age stories along with contemporary comics, it really got me.

These two are cheats - Kingdom Come and New Frontier - they're ensemble pieces, but think they're good countparts to one another. Kingdom Come shows Superman at his worst, a hermit after a new wave of heroes take over and Lois Lane is killed. New Frontier - idealized interpretations of all DC superheroes.

People complain that Superman doesn't do anything to inspire hope in people in these films, but that's bullshit. The entire third act features numerous people putting faith in one another, and in the face of death, doing their best to help one another.

Supergirl and High Spirits, and probably a few others, were movies I viewed on cable that caused me to believe that Peter O'Toole was a shitty hack actor when I was in high school, until I saw Lawrence of Arabia and The Ruling Class and a few other things.

I have two of the three parts of his autobiography that he wrote before he died, and while they are obviously from his point of view, he may come off more debonair rake than outright asshole, which I'm sure he really was.

_________________I'm going to wait until you're sitting next to Ericubus and then I'll ask how you're feeling. - caryc

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